sustainability Article Studenica Marble: Significance, Use, Conservation Nevena Debljovi´cRisti´c 1,*, Nenad Šekularac 2, Dušan Mijovi´c 3 and Jelena Ivanovi´cŠekularac 2 1 Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Serbia, Radoslava Gruji´ca11, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia 2 Department of Architectural Technology, University of Belgrade-Faculty of Architecture, 11000 Belgrade, Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 73/II, Serbia 3 Faculty of Applied Ecology FUTURA, Metropolitan University in Belgrade, Požeška 83 a, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +38163432782 Received: 20 June 2019; Accepted: 12 July 2019; Published: 18 July 2019 Abstract: Studenica marble is the stone used in creating the mediaeval Serbian cultural heritage. This is a historical overview of the importance and use of stone from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages, when the most imposing religious architectural structures were built. The significance of Studenica marble is particularly manifested in the Virgin’s Church at the Studenica Monastery. For its marble façades and artistic architectural elements, among other things, the church was inscribed in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List in 1986. Through centuries, the Virgin’s Church suffered multiple destructions. In order to restore the marble façades properly and its architectural elements, the marble deposits where the stone was once quarried had to be located anew. When the stone material characterisation had been performed, the right stone was selected for the complex conservation works on the churches in Studenica and Sopocani. A practical implementation of the research results raised the awareness of the marble deposits in the Studenica vicinity, being also part of the national heritage.